Diabetes and Neuropathy Treatment in Oneco, FL

The Beach Bar is another one of those small dives in Oneco that's been around for decades - and will probably be around for many more.

Neighbor

|Updated Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 3:27 am ET

When I met the owner of Oneco Beach Bar, 5151 15th St. E., around the first of the year, he summed up the place in a couple sentences.

“It’s just a watering hole for the locals and anyone else,” Al Kochanowski told me. “I like to call them the ‘One More Club’ because they always want one more beer before calling it quits.”

Accompanied by my wife and her camera, I occupied a barstool at the little, old pub to get a first-hand account of the One More Club and their “headquarters.” It’s definitely old; The Beach Bar has been around since the 1950s, according to its patrons. Kochanowski has owned it for about three decades.

Its ambience is true pub atmosphere with little in the way of lighting, except behind the bar. Even the door is covered with a blanket adorned with sharks to keep the hot sun from beating down on the backs of patrons bellied up to the bar. The entrance to the bathrooms are outside along the building’s north wall.

The place is relatively small. There are fewer than a dozen stools at the bar and a couple more two-seater tables facing the bar’s lone pool table. Thirty years ago there were more tables and the place would get packed at night, and sometimes a bit rowdy, said longtime patron Chip Whited.

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“Now it’s just a laid back little place. You don’t see any fights here anymore,” he said, adding that he owns a place nearby and is in walking distance. Chip, like many of the long-time patrons of these historic dive bars, loved to chat. Stranger or friend, he entertained us with stories of the bar's past while we guzzled cold Budweisers from the bottle.

The beer selection isn't all that great, but it does the trick. In fact, I recall Kochanowski telling me last time I visited that most of his customers live within walking distance and most prefer a cold Budweiser. He called it a "Budweiser bar."

Other drinks available in the cooler behind the bar were Michelob, Coors and Heineken, along with different flavors of Smirnoff and Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Seagrams and Sangria.

Prices are always low enough that every hour is a happy hour. Domestic drafts are $1.50 and cans, bottles and wine coolers are $2.50. The bar does not serve liquor.

There’s a television behind the bar counter, video games and a dart board to go along with the pool table, but not too many patrons seemed interested in anything but sitting and chatting with one another, at least on the day we arrived.

“It’s a friendly place,” Chip said. “We’re all neighbors and most of us are all friends.”

That's exactly what a neighborhood pub should be.

Oneco Beach Bar is open from 9 a.m. until midnight seven days a week.

The Oneco area has a few other neighborhood pubs like the Beach Bar:

Developers have heard about the affordable and workforce housing crisis in the Bradenton area, and some are answering the call for more.

Most recently, Bradenton Project LLC of Summerville, S.C., filed paperwork with Manatee County Government for rezoning a 6.5 acre parcel to build a 96 unit apartment complex at 2008 53rd Ave. E. in Oneco.

The project, which would include four buildings with 24 units each, received affordable/workforce housing eligibility on June 23.

The rectangular shaped property, which fronts onto State Road 70 with two existing houses, is largely wooded.

Bradenton Project bought the property Sept. 23, 2022, for $1,525,000, according to the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s website.

So, is it true that more affordable and workforce housing projects are starting to be developed?

Yes, absolutely, says Glen Gibellina, a member of the Manatee County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.

“We’ve gotten more workforce housing in the last two years that in the previous ten,” Gibellina said.

Eddie Sanchez, who until recently was a finance instructor at USF Sarasota/Manatee and is now a clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida, said that there continues to be much more housing demand than supply.

The result: “More housing is coming online,’” he said.

▪ A 606 unit affordable housing apartment complex, named Amara, is proposed for a 20-acre parcel at 3308 Lena Road. Seeking approvals is WB Property Group, an owner-developer of real estate headquartered in New York City.

▪ A total of 572 units of multi-family affordable housing are planned for 4505 12th Street Court E., including 301 Flats with 324 units of family housing and The Savoy at 301 with 248 units of senior housing. The developer is Oneco 51 Family Gp LLC of Santa Monica, Calif.

▪ Whitfield Estates LLC is seeking to build 192 one- and two-bedroom units on 10 acres in the 7200 block of 12th St. E.

▪ The Nine20 Manatee apartments, planned for 137 units, with rents ranging from about $1,300 for a one-bedroom unit to $1,600 for a two-bedroom unit, are under construction at 920 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

▪ The three-story Oneco Living Apartments is planned for 94 rental units on 5.3 acres of vacant land just north of State Road 70. The majority of the units will be rented at market rate, but 24 of those apartments in the 5100 block of 18th St. Ct. E. will be designated affordable housing.

▪ Hope Village, dedicated to keeping at-risk parents housed and on the path to economic independence, is planned by Help to Home, a local nonprofit organization and homeless resource group. Envisioned are at least 53 apartment units on 4.8 acres at 1825 30th Ave. W. in Bradenton.

▪ The Tunnel to Towers Foundation aims to build 122 units south of Cortez Road where the county’s Utilities Department is based. The housing would be a combination of 38 “comfort” tiny homes that are 500 square feet as well as an 84-unit apartment complex.

▪ Housing Trust Group plans to build a five-story, 120-unit complex for seniors on the northwest corner of Ninth St. W. and 23rd Ave. W. in Bradenton.

▪ The Met, a $31 million workforce housing project, will include 199 units of eco-friendly apartments on a three-acre site at 1405 14th St., Bradenton.

▪ A workforce housing community of about 400 units is being pursued by by a partnership of local businesses, One Stop Housing and the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation. A location and timeline have not been announced.

▪ Housing Trust Group has opened the 90-unit Addison apartments, 702 Sixth Ave. E., Bradenton, and the 96-unit Oaks at Lakeside complex, 5260 34th Street Cir. E., Bradenton. Riverview6, an 80-unit affordable housing complex near downtown Bradenton, is also in the works and set to open in early 2024.

▪ The Sandpiper Place Apartments, 4605 26th St. W., Bradenton, opened Feb. 15, 2022, with all 92 units rented, and a waiting list with more than 800 people on it.

Another affordable housing complex is coming to Manatee County’s Oneco neighborhood.

The three-story Oneco Living Apartments development will put 94 rental units on 5.3 acres of vacant land just north of State Road 70. The majority of the units will be rented at market rate, but 24 of those apartments in the 5100 block of 18th St. Ct. E. will be designated affordable housing.

In a presentation to the Manatee Board of County Commissioners, planners said they designed the project to be as cohesive as possible with the surrounding neighborhood, but more than a dozen nearby residents spoke during public comment to say the affordable housing complex does not fit.

“There’s a fine line between meeting the affordable housing need and trading it off for the quality of life of existing Manatee County residents,” said Margi Nanney, a longtime Oneco resident. “Please don’t take ours away.”

“Apartments in the middle of low-density, single-family housing is not the right decision for Oneco,” added Jonathan Van Dyke, who represented the Groveland Homeowners’ Association.

The Manatee County Commission recently approved 301 Flats and The Savoy at 301, a 100% affordable housing complex also located in Oneco. The combined 572-unit complex is the largest affordable housing project in the county.

Neighbors complained about the height of the building and the traffic it will add to 18th Street Court East, which is a narrow road. County staffers asked the developer to use that street for access because it keeps vehicle traffic away from the railroad that runs along the west side of the property.

A few board members agreed that 18th Street Court East might be a difficult spot for site entry.

“I’m very familiar with this area and my biggest concern is the traffic,” said Commissioner Amanda Ballard, who lives in Oneco.

Others noted that state law requires the county to improve the roadway, not the developer.

“That’s not how the state works. That’s not how our approvals work. If we think 18th [Street Court East] is inadequate, put it on the [Capital Improvement Plan],” said Commissioner George Kruse.

While affordable housing is one of the top issues for residents in Manatee County, and many other areas of Florida, proposed projects can fall victim to NIMBY-ism, which stands for “not in my backyard.” Neighbors who would have to live next to such housing often fight it.

In his presentation to the board, Bob Gause, a certified planner and president of Gause and Associates, Inc., said his team specifically designed the complex to include landscape buffers and impact windows to reduce the sound associated with an active railroad line.

“At the end of the day, we want to be able to rent these units,” said Gause.

According to Gause, the existence of the railroad line will be disclosed to future tenants. Board members said they expect residents will welcome the addition of affordable housing, even if it means living near the tracks.

“You want affordable housing? You can only charge so much to live next to the railroad tracks,” Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said.

“I promise you there will be 94 families that will pay some amount of money to live next to a railroad track,” Kruse added.

Commissioners voted 4-2 to approve the rezone and preliminary site plan for the Oneco Living Apartments. Commissioners Jason Bearden and Ballard voted against the proposal. Commissioner Vanessa Baugh was absent and did not vote.

Gause said he expects the construction to begin sometime next year, with the apartments accepting residents in 2025.

It’s a 100% affordable housing development, and when completed will be the largest of its kind in the Bradenton area.

Technically, The Savoy at 301 and The 301 Flats at 4498 12th St. Ct. E. in Oneco are two projects.

The 301 Flats will provide 324 units of affordable housing for families and individuals and The Savoy at 301 will provide 248 units for seniors. Altogether, 572 units of multi-family affordable housing are planned.

They are both being developed on the same 42-acre parcel by Lincoln Avenue Capital and represent the company’s first ground-up construction project in the state of Florida.

Company leaders hope it won’t be Lincoln Avenue Capital’s last.

Lincoln, which serves residents across 22 states, with a portfolio of 119 properties comprising 20,000-plus units, is looking at other projects in the Bradenton area, Jordan Richter, Lincoln vice president, said Monday afternoon at a groundbreaking ceremony.

“We would like to provide as much affordable housing as we can in Florida,” Richter said.

Since starting planning for The Savoy and 301 Flats in 2020, the company has experienced the most challenging construction climate in recent memory with inflation, rising interest rates and ballooning construction costs, he said.

The new apartments are forecast to open in 2024 and 2025, Richter said.

Amanda Ballard, who was elected to the Manatee County Commission in 2022, said the community is “behind the eight ball” in regard to affordable housing.

Fellow County Commissioner George Kruse, who has long championed affordable housing and workforce housing projects, said it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how much Manatee County needs.

“If you use the metric that you shouldn’t spend more than 30% of your income on housing, we could be short 10,000 to 20,000 units. But everything helps,” Kruse said.

Monday’s groundbreaking was held on a road that runs past Callaghan Tire, off 44th Avenue East. That will eventually be a secondary entrance to The 301 Flats and The Savoy at 301.

The primary entrance will be to the south on a planned new multi-lane road connecting to 301 Boulevard East.

The new affordable housing projects are for those making no more than 60% of the area’s median income. The senior housing area will be for those 62 and older.

Based on income data from the federal government, monthly rent should be set between $900 and $1,100, depending on the tenant’s apartment size.

Lincoln did not provide information about how to apply to live in the upcoming complex Monday afternoon. Typically, applications become available a few months before construction is completed.

“It is designed to look no different than any market apartments and be a source of pride for the district and Manatee County,” Richter said.

Eli Bronfman, managing partner of Lincoln Avenue Capital, said the projects represent a new chapter for the company, being its first ground-up venture in Florida.

Housing in the Bradenton area ranks among the nation’s most expensive, according to several studies.

Finding affordable rentals and places to buy are significant challenges for households of all ages.

The Manatee Young Professionals, a program of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, presented a home buying panel last week on getting into the Bradenton area home market.

Key takeaways included knowing your credit score, getting pre-approved for a loan a year ahead of time, and frequent communication between the prospective buyer and real estate agent.

This story was originally published March 6, 2023, 3:54 PM.

Neighbors are stepping up their opposition to a circus locating in Oneco as the Manatee County Commission prepares to vote on a zoning change Thursday requested by Cirque Italia.

“We are adamantly opposed,” Pastor Bill Bailey of Happy Gospel Church said Wednesday.

A night club or dance hall would not be allowed in the neighborhood, and neither should the circus, which presents adult-themed paranormal shows, he said.

Jo Bell, an 11-year resident of Oneco, was collecting petitions Wednesday, saying that the planned 52,000-square-foot performance area and a 20,000-square-foot multi-use building on 5.6 acres at 1623 53rd Ave. E., is incompatible with churches and schools in the area.

The circus is proposed for the site where Oneco Glass Company operated for many years.

The Manatee County Planning Commission voted 4-3 in May to recommend passage of the zoning request. The request will go before the Manatee County Commission’s Land Use Meeting on Thursday.

Louisa Nealon, marketing manager for Cirque Italia, said Wednesday that the circus travels around the United States, and that the content has not been a problem in the communities it visits.

“We are always welcomed wherever we go. People are always asking on social media when are we coming back?” she said.

“We have two family shows and our paranormal show for diversity in the circus arts. It’s like going to the movies where you can choose to see an R-rated movie or a PG movie,” Nealon said, comparing the horror theme to Halloween night at a tourist attraction.

Margi Nanney, one of the Oneco neighbors opposed to the rezoning, said the planning commission was negligent when it recommended passage.

Cirque Italia had no answers for many traffic safety, access, drainage and private property encroachment issues, she said.

“This is not a compatible land use for this area. The Florida Department of Transportation has not approved one of the accesses they presented. Planners fabricated a niche in the code calling the project a theater. This is not a theater, it’s a circus in a tent,” Nanney said.

There were 145 notices sent to residences within 500 feet of the property where rezoning is being sought, Nanney said.

In response, community activists mailed out 1,500 notices and contacted the churches, schools, day care, businesses and as many residents as possible to let them know about this.

“The circus will create even more dangerous traffic conditions and the R-rated ‘paranormal’ circus that includes mature adult material is not appropriate for our neighborhood. The group feels a rezone will create a dangerous precedent for future development in this area,” Nanny said.

In an emailed letter to the Bradenton Herald, Oneco resident Ruth Newsome said the the rezoning process has not given residents sufficient time to respond.

“We do not want an R-rated circus in Oneco. Why call it a circus when 17-year-olds have to be accompanied by an adult?,” Newsome said.

Bailey has served as pastor of Happy Gospel Church for more than three decades.

“I know my community. The Oneco community is a beautiful mix of people from all walks of life. Cirque Italia doesn’t represent nor better Oneco,” Bailey said.

Multiple churches, including Happy Gospel, First Baptist Oneco, Iglesia Hispana Church, Community Baptist Church, and Oneco United Methodist Church are all within walking distance, he said.

Multiple schools and daycares are either directly connected or within walking distance. This property has residential housing all around it. Providing a proper ingress and egress for upwards to 400 attendees per show would be most challenging at best, Bailey said.

Cirque Italia proposes to have no more than 40 performance days on the Oneco property, with no events lasting more than 20 days, including set up, tear down and removal. The shows would be presented in a 53-foot-tall circus tent, which would be removed after each engagement.

In recent years, Cirque Italia has presented its shows in the Riviera Dunes area of Palmetto without incident, said attorney Scott Rudacille, who represented the circus before the planning commission.

Cirque Italia has no animals in its act and would not sell alcohol, he said.

Rather than hurting the Oneco community, the planned Cirque Italia improvements would clean up a neglected area and bring businesses, a restaurant, apartments and the company’s corporate headquarters to the property, Nealon said.

“It will be a high standard, beautiful product and encourage other investors,” she said.

The Land Use Meeting starts at 9 a.m. in the Patricia M. Glass Chambers on the first floor of the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

The commission has several items of business on its agenda and has not designated a time certain for the Cirque Italia request.